Director General of the Department of Statistics (DoS), Haidar Furaihat, said that the comprehensive review of the national accounts and the re-estimation of Jordan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) came in response to a national and professional need to arrive at the full statistical truth and to provide a more accurate reading of the size of the Jordanian economy, including its visible and non-visible activities.
اضافة اعلان
This came during a dialogue session held by the Jordan Economic Forum as part of the Economic Salon program, which discussed the methodology used in reviewing the national accounts and the results of job creation surveys. The session was attended by Forum President Mazen Al-Hammoud and several members of the Board of Directors and the Forum’s General Assembly.
Speaking at the session, moderated by Board Member Bashir Al-Zu‘bi, Furaihat said that the outcomes of work over the past four years revealed an addition of JOD 3.6 billion that had not previously been captured in the accounts—equivalent to nearly 10% of an economy previously estimated at around JOD 36 billion before the review.
He explained that the re-estimation of GDP began about five years ago, when there was a “widespread sense within Jordan and abroad,” among local stakeholders and international organizations concerned with economic affairs, that the Jordanian economy was “larger than reflected by the published figures.” He noted that this perception was translated into a structured research project aimed at “reaching the truth.”
Furaihat said that initial discussions were held with the government, represented by the Ministry of Planning and other relevant entities, leading to the design of an integrated project with defined methodologies and budgets. Experts were engaged, and governance frameworks and implementation units were established within the Department of Statistics.
He noted that the project was launched from the very foundations of statistical work—frames, samples, surveys, and questionnaires—to ensure that economic data collection was carried out correctly.
The development process included merging surveys, updating others, discontinuing surveys that were no longer effective, and launching new projects, alongside adopting greater reliance on administrative records. He explained that the Department no longer relies solely on data collected through questionnaires sent to companies, but has expanded to include databases from institutions that maintain organized records of economic activity, providing additional sources to estimate value added with higher professional accuracy.
Furaihat added that the project also involved the introduction of advanced statistical tools, including expanded use of input–output tables and the development of supply and use tables, among other statistical instruments. This process spanned four years and involved cooperation and knowledge exchange with international partners, including experts from the United Nations system and the International Monetary Fund.
He said the Department established a specialized unit comprising national accounts experts, in addition to incentivizing field staff to enhance the efficiency of data collection and verification.
Furaihat emphasized that the review was not limited to a single sector but was conducted activity by activity, leading to the discovery of figures that had not previously appeared in what is known as the visible and non-visible economy.
He cited examples, including the agriculture sector, where the Department expanded to utilize databases of agricultural wholesale markets that had undergone automation and technological development, providing a more detailed and accurate source to track actual trade and production movements.
In the industrial sector, he noted that previous measurements captured only large, well-known industries. Following updates to frames and samples, the presence of smaller companies became apparent, necessitating a rebuild of the statistical framework from which samples are drawn.
He also discussed the rental sector, explaining that outdated averages had underestimated actual values. Updating systems revealed that figures previously assumed to represent average rents in Jordan no longer reflected reality and recorded rental levels below actual market conditions.
Furaihat added that the review also covered insurance, information and communications technology, transport, trade, and other sectors. He explained that the Department moved from an older level of economic activity classification to a more detailed one, separating activities that had previously been grouped together—such as transport, storage, and communications—so that each activity now has a more accurate estimate.
He highlighted a major methodological shift in external trade, noting that Jordan transitioned from the special system to the general system in line with international standards, resulting in the inclusion of trade conducted in free zones within the national accounts, in accordance with global methodologies.
According to Furaihat, four years of work resulted in the addition of JOD 3.6 billion that had previously been unobserved and is now captured, out of an economy that stood at around JOD 36 billion prior to the review—an increase of approximately 10%.
He noted that the project has been extended through 2026 to focus on the informal economy, using methodologies based on technology and databases, benefiting from the rapid transformation in payment systems, invoicing, and electronic transfers, such as e-invoicing systems and various payment and transfer options, as tools to monitor economic activity.
Furaihat stressed that all these procedures are entirely unrelated to taxation, affirming that the Department is keen not to share citizens’ data or link it to any other government databases. He pointed out that the 2025 Statistics Law strengthened data confidentiality and increased penalties for the disclosure of information.
In the second segment related to job creation, Furaihat said that unemployment is not a mere number but a set of concepts encompassing measurement, public perception, and social interpretation. He explained that the Department measures unemployment in accordance with International Labour Organization (ILO) methodologies, and that previous methodological reviews led to the reclassification of certain groups among the employed and unemployed in line with global standards, which affected the figures.
He noted that unemployment measurement has evolved over time—from once annually to twice, then four times a year—and that the current Labor Force Survey sample includes around 17,000 households, enabling the publication of results at the governorate level.
Furaihat revealed that the Department launched an additional optional survey to track newly created job opportunities. This survey uses a large sample of up to 100,000 households in two rounds annually—50,000 households each time. He explained that the Department surveys households rather than companies to avoid sensitivities and ensure respondent cooperation, consistent with the separation of statistical work from any tax-related considerations.
He said that results for 2024 showed the creation of approximately 96,000 new jobs, while the results for 2025 are still under review in preparation for their announcement.
Furaihat concluded by affirming that the Department’s goal is to provide a more accurate and fair picture of the economy and the labor market, calling for continued dialogue with experts and various sectors to develop measurement tools, enhance trust in data, and make it a foundation for economic decision-making and for directing policies toward growth and job creation.
